Mike Desmond

Reporter

Mike Desmond is one of Western New York’s most experienced reporters, having spent nearly a half-century covering the region for newspapers, television stations and public radio. He has been with WBFO and its predecessor, WNED-AM, since 1988. As a reporter for WBFO, he has covered literally thousands of stories involving education, science, business, the environment and many other issues. He also hosts “You and the Law,” a popular segment that involves interviews with local lawyers. Mike has been a long-time theater reviewer for a variety of publications and was formerly a part-time reporter for The New York Times.

It was 40 years ago this week when federal officials declared the Love Canal neighborhood of Niagara Falls, NY a disaster area. In the first of a series of "Reporter's Notebook" stories reflecting on behind the scenes of that infamous period in Western New York history, WBFO's Mike Desmond talks with Morning Host Jay Moran about covering the story for the former Courier-Express newspaper.

A new mashup of 47 studies of diabetes and cancer covering more than 19 million patients finds a seriously higher risk of developing cancer among diabetics, especially type 2 diabetics. It also finds diabetic women are much more likely to develop cancer than diabetic men.

The United States and Canada have nearly 4,000 miles of border, spanning from the Atlantic to Pacific oceans. And Canada's consul-general believes the two longtime friendly nations can work out the trade and immigration issues fueling the current spat between the nations' leaders.

The Pierce-Arrow complex in North Buffalo is a familiar site to area residents, a symbol of a luxury car company that went away in the Great Depression. Now, remnants of the plant are being re-purposed by developers for housing and the Elmwood Avenue landmark is getting what may be the area's largest geothermal energy system.

It is a name you have probably heard, but may not know much about. Henry Wells is the Wells of of Wells Fargo. In 1852, he and William Fargo co-founded what is now a multinational financial services company. Wells may have a home on a former industrial complex Rich Products wants to knock down - and because of that, a demolition request has stalled before the city Preservation Board.

The Erie County Legislature voted 10-1 Thursday to appoint former Amherst Town Attorney E. Thomas Jones to the Erie County Water Authority board. Jones, a Republican, is the third Amherst attorney to be on the three-member board. Meanwhile, five lawmakers failed - by one vote - to fire ECWA Board Chairman Jerome Schad.

If you look at local job ads, there are usually pages of open jobs but an acute shortage of people with needed skills. The Northland Workforce Training Center is ramping up its recruitment for skills training.

For many residents of Buffalo, the NASCAR-like driving of too many motorists is a continuing aggravation or danger on residential streets. One summertime solution is speedhumps, but the city has only nine of them.

Here's what we know: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation wants Tonawanda Coke to shut down because of persistent air pollution problems. What we don't know is if the plant will shut down Aug. 4 or if an appeal will keep it open.

Buffalo Public Schools are moving forward on efforts to improve sports in the school system, especially trying to make sure student athletes have the grades and game performance to be open to college scholarships.

Unions have been sounding the alarm since the June 27 U.S. Supreme Court Janus ruling that public employees can stop paying union dues while retaining many of the benefits from collective bargaining. An anti-union group is sounding its own alarm among New York's public employees.

For two-and-a-half years, the death of India Cummings has raised questions. Cummings died after spending 17 days at the Erie County Holding Center. Thursday brought another protest outside the Holding Center, in the wake of a state report that said homicide should be listed as the woman's cause of death.

Buffalo Public Schools are strengthening one of the best city schools, by extending the connection between Leonardo da Vinci High School and D'Youville College. Da Vinci is being made more of a health sciences school by offering D'Youville college-credit courses.